Manta Maria Thoughts and Discussion!

[Danku]

Manta Maria just dropped into the game's map rotation! Currently it seems like it'll be in Turf War's rotation for 24 hours, and Ranked and League will just integrate it normally. ANYWAYS!

So, what does everybody think of this new stage? I personally REALLY like it! It seems like a change of pace I would say. For starters, the grates. Reminds me a bit of Hammerhead Bridge, but in a good way. Also the middle is very different than the other middles of the current stages! Most stages except Moray and Port have middles that are more or less anchor points/safe havens for you to camp at and lockdown the map from there. But in Manta Maria, it feels different. Being up on the grates in the center feels like you're actually in a bit more danger rather than being safe, and I like that a lot. Also there are so many different ways to approach the center that it never feels like I'm camping anywhere in particular. I haven't played the stage TOO much, but I wanted to get this thread out there and get some discussion going, and I'll inevitably add more of my thoughts once I play more and hopefully not get stuck with the other maps. >.>

I'd like to hear everybody's thoughts on the new map! :D

 

[Agent Z]

Is this what they were building in sturgeon shipyard?

 

[Berry]

I should have known better to play ranked on this stage with a new weapon coming out. Aw well.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Made a great first impression on me. All the walls and corridors give it a close quarters feel that I've wanted more of in Splatoon maps, but then it opens up into the middle which I really enjoy being in. The map's look and aesthetic are fantastic. It's nice to have a clean cut ocean side map for a change. Most others are very industrial in Splatoon like Port, Sturgeon, Salt Spray, Bluefin, etc.

I did one match of RM ranked, there is a easy to miss path that leads straight to the RM pedestal from the middle, which is really tense. Expect a lot of quick finishes there as a lot of people who know the path will slip by people who don't. Even if everyone knows it, one bad team wipe can ensure a lot of progress of a straight up win. Check it out in recon, there's a small ramp that leads to an inkable wall which you must jump for. Once you are over that, you will see the pedestal right there.

 

[Dog King]

Made a great first impression on me. All the walls and corridors give it a close quarters feel that I've wanted more of in Splatoon maps, but then it opens up into the middle which I really enjoy being in. The map's look and aesthetic are fantastic. It's nice to have a clean cut ocean side map for a change. Most others are very industrial in Splatoon like Port, Sturgeon, Salt Spray, Bluefin, etc.

I did one match of RM ranked, there is a easy to miss path that leads straight to the RM pedestal from the middle, which is really tense. Expect a lot of quick finishes there as a lot of people who know the path will slip by people who don't. Even if everyone knows it, one bad team wipe can ensure a lot of progress of a straight up win. Check it out in recon, there's a small ramp that leads to an inkable wall which you must jump for. Once you are over that, you will see the pedestal right there.

Yeah, the fast route is really scary. My team took it one time, and boy, I beat the enemies were salty!

 

[Agent Z]

I stared at a pothole for half a match expecting a Jelly to wave at me through it.....

... I probably deserved that Splat Roller to the head.

 

[ThatBerkawitzSquid]

Put simply, I'm loving it so far. As a disclaimer, I've only played it in Turf so far, but it's been great. There's a very nice mix of close-quarters and open areas, allowing just about any weapon to perform well there. The abundance of climbable walls reminds me of good old Flounder Heights, and the grates are implemented well, with pros and cons to choosing whether to be on them or not, much like Hammerhead. In terms of aesthetic, I get huge Mahi-Mahi vibes.

When playing Recon mode, I found a visual detail that I would never notice in battle, but I love.

See those spots all around the edges of the pic? Those aren't a trick of the light. You get water droplets on your screen when you're on this map. Such a small detail they didn't need to add in, but it's great. Really adds to the resort atmosphere when you see it.

 

[SillySocks]

So many climbable walls, so many angles of approach! Fantastic map with a great design. Must admit though, I wish there were easier ways to get up to the snipe platforms overlooking the center in TW. Unless I'm missing something here, the only real way is to cut right across the deck near enemy spawn and up the ramps leading to it. Gonna have to study potential flanking routes in the coming days...

Also, that center mast is a hell of a lot of fun to ink and swim on, zipping around to get quick jumps on the unsuspecting!

 

[mercenariez]

It's pretty fun. I only played Turf Wars though. Feels more reminiscent of Splatoon 1 with it being distinctive as a map.

 

[Otter Power]

Very refreshing compared to all the maps thus far (which, frankly, have been feeling very cookie-cutter). Despite playing for 3 hours as of this message, I've only gotten to play on it once (outside of recon)! That blows.

I really love this place except for one little detail -- somewhere around the edges there's a place that looks like you can jump down to the lower deck, but you can't actually jump down there and will die if you do so. I guess it shouldn't take too long to get used to, but it threw me off when reconning it.

 

[MINKUKEL]

Yeah I jumped off too once...

Probably the first stage I feel I don't do very well on (yet?) in Splatoon 2. Guess I'll have to get used to the layout a bit.

 

[Nuddlmaus]

The middle Pole is perfect for ambushing enemys from above. I love it, first time ever i massively improved my vertical play.

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

It's a breath of fresh air! Stil a small sized map, but atleast there's more open areas and not a raised center.

 

[ThatSquidYouKnow]

I'm really liking this map tbh. It feels like a hybrid of Flounder and Hammerhead, Hammerhead cause its really narrow, and Flounder because it has that vertical aspect to it as well. Its really a breath of fresh air, considering most of the other maps are all confined and small this one just feels so much more open. Overall, its really reminiscent of the Splat 1 maps, and is more open than the other maps, where I feel like I'm being put in a cage and being told to fight to the death.

 

[Spaceswitchmars]

Not sure if this is getting too technical for anyone, but the new map is really good.

I can't wait until some of the actually good S1 maps drop. Between the non-Moray Towers S1 maps and this, we're going to have some good counter-maps to the other original S2 maps. This is the first map that really feels like we can approach it from many different paths even if holding/controlling the middle is just as important as on the other new maps.

 

[Ansible]

Rather than repeating what has already been said, I'll just add that releasing both this Manta Marie and the Sloshing Machine together feels ★magical~★! So many satisfying trickshots you can perform without having to even see or even directly confront the other player.

Hopefully this map will teach players that it's okay to ink the blasted walls–for this map it's a necessity!

Though I wish we could climb further up into the rigging, but this is still satisfying as is! Now I just need to collect the proper accouterments, maybe bug Nintendo to release some eyepatches, then I'm golden!

 

[Debbie]

I don't know if it actually is, but this map feels so much bigger than the others. I had a match earlier where I didn't even see the other team until the match was half over. On pretty much all of the others I can't go more than 10 seconds without seeing people it seems.

Now I just need to collect the proper accouterments, maybe bug Nintendo to release some eyepatches, then I'm golden!

Spiffy pirate jacket and feathered hat please!

 

[shudder]

I'm really liking this map tbh. It feels like a hybrid of Flounder and Hammerhead, Hammerhead cause its really narrow, and Flounder because it has that vertical aspect to it as well. Its really a breath of fresh air, considering most of the other maps are all confined and small this one just feels so much more open. Overall, its really reminiscent of the Splat 1 maps, and is more open than the other maps, where I feel like I'm being put in a cage and being told to fight to the death.

Good comparison, it reminds me of a really good version of Hammerhead combined with some of the verticality of Flounder, although it's verticality seems to be a lot more varied than Flounder. I love that there are so many walls you can ink which increases different routes and ways to attack, seems like a lot of the new maps are more restrictive in this regard, makes for a pretty interesting map in addition to everything else about it.

 

[RespawningJesus]

Definitely liking this map. Incredibly varied in design. Not too big, not too small.

 

[Либра]

Since I know better than to pick a charger on a map I'm not familiar with I went with the Carbon Roller for my first experience and the Splattershot Pro after a couple of frustrating matches in general.

The map feels great. To me this is the first spl2n map that really stands out in terms of how you can approach and control the center and even though it has more or less a long shape, it doesn't feel as linear and boring as Humpback Pump Track and Musselforge Fitness, which by the way I keep confusing whenever they're in the rotation right now. Manta Marina and ... which one was it? Eh, same difference.
So it's definitely refreshing to have this map around, even though it reminds me of Hammerhead Bridge a bit which I never was really fond of. For some reason, Manta Marina gets a pass. For now. I really hope they keep going for those more individually shaped maps that just feel VERY different from eachother like in the prequel.